OUYA Android-Based Game Console Going Retail In June, Kickstarters Get Theirs in March

When we first caught wind of the OUYAgaming console raising a startling amount of money on Kickstarter (which eventually reached almost $8.6 million) in July, we noted that the console and its small development team had a major mountain to scale to compete in the market. On June 4th, OUYA will accomplish its most impressive feat to date by landing on store shelves.

Those who backed OUYA on Kickstarter will receive their consoles in March, but everyone else can already preorder an OUYA console at sites including Amazon, Target, and Best Buy. The console plus one controller will cost $99.99, and a second controller will run you another $49.99. All of the console’s games will be free. Note that the final hardware and interface design are quite similar to what we’ve been seeing all along.

We imagine that having $8.6 million of cold hard cash on hand certainly makes things easier, but it’s still incredible to think that you’ll be able to walk into a retail store and see OUYA on the shelf next to PlayStations and Xboxes less than a year after the team’s Kickstarter campaign launched. Developer consoles just shipped in December, and to date we’ve only seen teases and tidbits showing what OUYA can do and what it will look like, and now the finished product will be rolling out in a matter of weeks.